The Institute of Objective Studies (IOS) in association with the All India Milli Council organised an Eid Milan programme at the IOS conference hall of the IOS on August 2, 2015. Speaking at the function, social activist VB Rawat said, “Fascism is attempting to enter our country in the garb of democracy. Adivasis are demanding their rights as about one crore of them have been deprived of their land. Adivasis and the minorities constitute the majority of those who are in jails. The concept of Hindutva was based on the brahminical order and the main purpose of the strident Hindutva was to save the brahminical order. American capitalism is only playing a catalytic role to further strengthen the Hindutva. He maintained that brahminism was unwilling to restore to Dalits their due and now the Muslims were being targeted.

This constituted a threat to the Indian Constitution, he said. He opined that the RSS felt relieved if we targeted it as a mask of Hindutva, because it claimed to represent the entire Hindu society. But the fact remained that if the RSS was referred to as a representative of the Brahmins only, its sheen as the Hindutva brigade would be lost because their numerical strength was not more than two percent. Thus we must make a distinction between the two, he added.

Initiating the discussion, the Secretary General of the IOS, Prof. ZM Khan, pointed out that the values on which the Constitution stood were same as cherished by our society. These values were deep rooted, long lasting and very strong. Thus the need of the hour was to protect the right to equality, fraternity, freedom, etc. as enshrined in the Indian Constitution at any cost, he concluded.

The President of All India Milli Council, Hakim Mohammad Abdullah Mughesi, in his presidential address emphasised the need for organising such functions. He suggested that instead of naming such functions as “Eid Milan” or Holi Milan”, they should be called as “Manavta Milan” (confluence of humanity). Such functions should be organised in open space so as to spread the message far and wide. Supreme Court advocate Arun Majhi described the Preamble to the Constitution as the soul of society adding that this was a cementing force of society. While the Constitution enunciated progress, Hindutva had no place for Dalits, weaker sections and the minorities. The concept of Hindutva was based on religious obscurantism. He cautioned against the misadventure the government of the day might undertake to alter the Constitution and called for a united action against any such move. The Secretary and spokesperson of Jamiatul Ulema-e-Hind, Maulana Abdul Hameed Nomani, said that the activities of fascist forces were posing a potential threat to communal harmony, unity and solidarity of the country. He remarked that only 10 percent people were responsible for vitiating the atmosphere as the rest 90 percent were peace-loving. But the problem was that the peace-loving people were highly fragmented and unorganised. Thus the responsibility to have a better understanding with each other rested on common citizens.

The Chairman of the IOS, Dr. Mohammad Manzoor Alam, explained the rationale behind organising the Eid Milan programme. He said that the function was organised to share the views of different communities on various issues and arrive at a common understanding for protection of the country and the Constitution. Prof. of Law, Gurugobind Singh Indraprastha University, Prof. Afzal Wani held that Eid Milan symbolised happiness. Happiness was felt when a goal was achieved.

It good increased and the evil decreased, the goal would be deemed to have been achieved. Thus we must see to it that the fraternity as enshrined in the Constitution remained inviolable, Prof. Wani said.

As we prepare to observe the 150th anniversary of 1857 events we are once again apt to ask ourselves the same old, unanswered questions: Was it a mutiny, first war of independence, or Jihad for the sake of Islam? William Dalrymple's account clearly shows that it had elements from all the three. More ...